The NFL has promoted a Canadian to one of its top executive positions.

Mary Ann Turcke of Kingston is the league’s new chief operating officer. She replaces the departing Tod Leiweke.

A memo sent to clubs Tuesday from commissioner Roger Goodell, explaining the moves, was obtained by ESPN and other outlets and posted to social media.

A holder of engineering and business degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, Turcke joined the NFL last year, from Bell Media in Canada, where she had been president since 2014.

In addition to her role as president of NFL Media – in which she oversees NFL Network and NFL.com – Turcke now “will expand her role to lead the marketing, communications, human resources, international, events, and technology departments,” Goodell said in the memo.

“Since joining NFL Media last year, Mary Ann has distinguished herself by leading NFL Network to a record-setting year,” Goodell wrote. “We look forward to Mary Ann building upon this success, and her previous achievements as president of Bell Media, as she steps into this larger role. I expect her leadership, vision and corporate governance experience to help evolve our organization and take it to a higher level.”